India digitisation boosts DTH numbers

India’s conversion to an all-digital TV environment is finally benefitting broadcasters. Some Indian regions, where its Phase III digital conversion efforts are fast ramping up, saw subscriptions jump 60 percent in January, according to local sources.

The well-populated Jammu and Kashmir region jumped 61 per cent, for example, while the important Gujarat region saw DTH subscriptions rise from a low 13 percent to a more impressive 45 per cent.

Utter Pradesh now has a 78 per cent subscription take-up, according to Chrome Data Analytics & Media (CDAM).

CDAM says that India now has a total of 78.7 million “registered” DTH homes, although barely half of these are active (39.74 million).

There remains confusion as to the actual end of analogue broadcasting (which officially was mandated for December 31st 2015), and while some states have abandoned analogue others have re-instated conventional transmissions owing to a claimed shortage of set-top boxes.